Handsome is..
The two turbo coupe contenders, Nissan’s Silvia and Isuzu’s Piazza, look good and go well. But can their
European aspirations disguise their Japanese origins? Yes and no...
Coupes are reckoned
to be I Ian asset in the car show- & room. Their rakish styling is supposed
to draw the punters in, no matter if they end up spending their savings on a
bread and butter model.
For a swift
injection of the necessary style, Isuzu went to Giugiaro and returned to Japan
with the master’s “Ace of Clubs” design concept car that was un-veiled at the
1979 Geneva Motor Show. The handsome Isuzu Piazza body sits on an unsophisticated
chassis akin to that of the Opel Manta (General Motors have a 39 per cent stake
in Isuzu).
Nissan’s
Silvia coupe may not have emerged from an Italian design studio but doesn’t
suffer from being more macho than pretty. It has the simple, bold style that is
unmistakably a coupe rather than a two-door version of a saloon. The styling is
confident and the sales prove the Silvia is no lemon. The Turbo badges serve
the image well.
The
Nissan’s claimed 135 bhp gives it no advantages over its rival's 150 bhp in
terms of top speed, both nudging 125 mph’, but on paper the Silvia is quicker
by a gnat’s in the 60 mph sprint race, 7.9 against 8.3. Subjectively, however,
the Piazza feels the quicker car, a fact borne out by the in-gear acceleration
figures and a function no doubt of the engine’s lusty 166 lb ft torque figure,
delivered 1000 rpm lower down the scale than the smaller- engined Nissan’s. The
power units feel remarkably similar from the driving seat. Both have well sorted,
low-boost turbo installations which deliver pressure from about 2500 rpm with
comparatively little lag and no sudden rush of power as the revs rise.
Unfortunately the benign nature of the two engines is not reflected in their
refinement. Both are harsh and gruff, and the Piazza becomes so
objectionable as the 6000 rpm red line looms that the driver is not encouraged
to extend the engine. The Silvia is not quite so bad and the thrashiness could
just about be termed “sporting”, but neither has anything like the sweetness of
the Alfa’s V6 or the Scirocco’s “four". In either of them it pays to
change up well before even the quoted engine power optimum, and let the torque
do the work.
Changing up
is not the most pleasant of operations unfortunately, in either machine. The
Nissan's gearchange is notchy, and the spring biasing is not quite good enough
to prevent the odd muffed shift from second to third. Even this, however, was
preferable to the heavy vague affair of its rival. Possibly the Piazza’s 15,000
miles had been hard ones, but the search for both third and fifth needed care,
lest you find the wrong slot. Ratios in both cars were reasonably spaced,
however, and the engines could be kept on boost without too much effort when
the driver was in a hurry. Brisk progress extracted a depressing toll on the
Piazza’s fuel consumption, however, and 21.5 mpg against the Nissan’s 25 mpg
overall figure gave Silvia a definite advantage.
The essence
of any sporting car is its handling, and although both cars have prodigious reserves
of grip, the Nissan's independent rear suspension begins to show up the
Piazza's lack, of class in this department. The Silvia is an exceptionally
well- balanced chassis and can be hustled along extremely fast. Traction is
excellent and even full use of turbo boosted torque out of a tight corner in
second gear will only occasion a slight squirming of the tail and the odd yelp
from an inside rear wheel. It’s very safe and very quick, and the only question
mark arises out of a sudden lift from the accelerator in mid-corner when mild
understeer gives way to quite pronounced oversteer. It’s fine when you’re in
the mood, and it's easily caught by swift and direct steering, but it might
just snare the unwary.
This is not
a problem which is ever likely to worry the owner of a Piazza, at least on a
dry road. Oversteer is virtually unattainable, power on or off, and tight
corners really show up the limitations of a beam axle and four link/Panhard rod
suspension. A heavy boot will spin and tramp an inside rear wheel quite viciously.
At higher speeds the handling is dead safe and full use of the ample grip can
be made without the spectre of liftoff oversteer lurking in wait. On unfamiliar
roads, the Piazza probably even inspires more confidence than the Silvia. The-
steering is equally direct and nicely weighted and progress can be rapid. It's
just that a heavy live axle gives a decidedly vintage feel that you might remember
from an MGB. Ride, too, is a Nissan victory for much the same reason,
especially at lower speeds when the Isuzu's poise again suffers from the
unsprung masses hopping about behind you. On a wet road, it’s a dramatically
different story, particularly in the Piazza with its standard- equipment
limited slip differential. Sharp reflexes are an essential complement to a
press-on style here.
Discs
appear in all four corners and both machines sport ventilated versions at the
front. Of the pair the Piazza's are truly impressive, needing a minimum of
pedal movement before acting, always with superb feel and plenty of power. The
Nissan is not far behind for efficiency but has a touch too much servo
assistance for some tastes.
If the
Piazza’s engine is noisier than the Silvia’s, then the latter loses out at
higher speeds, when
whistling
round the wing mirrors, and general road roar - particularly from the rear -
begins to become intrusive. At anything up to the legal limit, both are acceptably
quiet.
So far,
there is precious little to choose between the two cars. Engine refinement
apart, the choice would be largely subjective. If you didn't have to sit in the
car to make your choice that is. Isuzu have endeavoured to go high-tech but the
result is a disaster. The two adjustable pods which flank the steering column
contain a bewildering selection of controls, most of which are obscured by the
steering wheel. There are push-push, sliders, concentric rings and an indicator
stalk which neatly coincides with your knuckles round the steering wheel. The
main instruments are large, clear and easy to read but the minor gauges are
small, and disappear out of sight towards the bottom of the binnacle. All this
is a pity because the basic driving position is fine and the multi-adjustable
seats decently supportive.
The Silvia
has a vastly simpler facia and is the better for it, though its warning lights
are more scattered. Instrumentation is clear, bold and easily read but from there
on the interior fares less well with rather slab-cushioned seats which lack the
height adjustment of the Isuzu's.
In the
equipment stakes, the Piazza walks all over the Silvia. Only a sun-roof is
missing from the list, and Isuzu offer no options at all. Air conditioning is
standard, along with the limited slip differential, cruise control, adjustable
rear seat backrests and rear seat belts. Nissan offer only power steering and
automatic transmission as extras and, somewhat strangely these days, central
locking is neither fitted nor available. If the Nissan's cabin looks dowdy, the
Piazza’s love of crushed grey velour verges on the tasteless.
As usual,
the ideal would in-corporate the best features of both cars. The Silvia has the
better ride/handling compromise, is slightly more refined and more economical.
It's also cheaper at £10,566 (including the power steering). It doesn't have
the Piazza's equipment or (in some eyes) its looks. But then, the Isuzu costs
substantially more, almost £12,000. The feeling is of yesterday's car. Well
engineered, safe and reasonably fast, five years ago it would have been a
front-runner. As it is, the Nissan wins the day.
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